The Director of Public Health in the West is expressing concern that Covid 19 is not well enough under control to prevent a new variant taking control.
Professor Breda Smyth says that while it was hoped that the country would be in the exit phase of the pandemic on the 22nd of this month, the rise in cases in the community means that there is still a phase to run before it is under control.
The HSE is appealing to people who have not yet availed of the vaccine to take the opportunity to protect themselves from serious illness and help bring down community transmission to manageable levels.
Professor Smyth says it's about striking the balance between protecting as many people as possible and being able to manage those who are ill within the health services.
